Caldera: A Prison Tale
by Len Crator
Summary: In a world where benders are feared, the Ba Sing Se empire created Caldera, a city prison used to contain benders. Within Caldera, benders are forced into battles, experiments, and services for the entertainment of citizens. Zuko, a long time resident, meets the newly initiated Katara. Can he help her survive the depravity of Caldera, or are there deaths imminent? Dark Au
1. An Introduction

This story will be semi Deadman Wonderland themed, but it won't follow the plot at all. I'm a huge Zutara fan, but I'm not planning on it having a heavy role in the story-there will be some, but this is not a romance novel. For the purpose of the plot, I might make some characters that are originally non-benders and make them into benders. Also for the sake of the plot, there will be some modern technology. DARK themes alert. If you're uncomfortable with coerced, sexual, gruesome, or disturbing situations, this is not the fanfic for you.

* * *

Ba Sing Se is an authoritarian mega-city that controls the four nations with an iron fist. Benders are rare, and shunned/feared by normal citizens. Parents must register their children to a government directory, so the authorities can keep tabs on all benders. As soon as possible, benders must submit themselves to being branded with a mark that shows what kind of bender they are. Anyone that is caught breaking the law can be sentenced to death.

Caldera is the infamous "prison" city for benders that have been caught breaking the law, or have a hard time "assimilating" in their environment. The crimes don't necessarily have to be related to bending. There have been whispers about progressive scientists that use some of the prisoners as subjects in their experiments―of course, the imperials of Ba Sing Se insist that these are just rumors created by anarchists that are trying to disrupt peace and balance. An attraction that brings money to Caldera is the notorious Dusk and Dawn (D&D) bordello where men _and _women can purchase services of some of the tamer (maybe because they are drugged? Again, another rumor) benders.

But wait! Not all bad things happen in Caldera. Prisoners that exhibit exceptional obedience and submission might have a chance of being pardoned from their sentence, and instead, they have the honor of serving in the Lord Emperor's army! What a privilege!

Oh, dear me! How could I forget? Although Caldera has many many fun attractions that involve the law breakers, many of which you will soon find out about, Caldera became famous from this one event: The Redemption Games. Many inmates willingly (forced) enter battles against other inmates in front of a cheering and enthusiastic crowd. The fight isn't over until a) the loser concedes, b) the loser becomes unconscious, or c) (which happens to be a crowd pleaser) the loser dies. Winners gain points from their battles, and the points can be cashed in for luxuries and privileges in Caldera. A little bird once told me that some of the elite benders live as faux royalty within Caldera.

Follow the story to discover the land of horror known as Caldera.

Clearance level 1 Inmate Profiles:

* * *

Number: 029507

Given Name: Zuko

Age: 18

Height: 5' 10"

Weight: 155 pounds

Significant features: Burn mark on left side of face-reason, unknown. "Patient refuses to talk about it" - Dr. Sozin

Bending type: Fire-is also proficient with dual blades. DO NOT ALLOW SUBJECT NEAR SHARP OBJECTS.

Notable skills: Inmate is quiet and sneaky, must keep an eye on him or he will disappear.

Reason for incarceration: Told a Dai Li agent to "eat a bag of dicks, turncoat!" before proceeding to envelope the agent in flames.

Personality: Hostile when provoked, possibly deranged. Tends to prefer to be alone. Has major daddy issues, and loves his mom. If he is in a foul mood, fetch nurse Takki immediately.

Time in prison: Came here approx. three and a half years ago.

Wins: 18

Losses: 9

Ties: 1

Danger level: 7/10

*Important note: 029507 does not like to be touched by men, but is unusually accepting of physical contact from females, especially if they are 30+ years old.

Sentencing: Life.

* * *

Number: 029658

Given Name: Haru

Age: 18

Height: 5' 11"

Weight: 160 pounds

Significant features: Long brown hair. Sometimes grows a mustache… DO NOT ALLOW HIM TO GROW A MUSTACHE. This is a serious institution, for Agni's sake!

Bending type: Earth.

Notable skills: None

Reason for incarceration: Stole bread from a bakery.

Personality: Calm, not very confident, and easily influenced. All around nice guy.

Time in prison: 5 months

Wins: 2

Losses: 1

Ties: 0

Danger level: 4/10

Sentencing: Life

* * *

Number: 029612

Given Name: Ty Lee

Age: 17

Height: 5' 8"

Weight: 130 pounds

Significant features: None

Bending type: Energy

Notable skills: Can incapacitate people with her bending. Do not come into physical contact with her when she is angered.

Reason for incarceration: Circus runaway

Personality: Cheerful without justification. Flirt. Do not let her fool you, she is stronger than she looks.

Time in prison: approx. 1 year and 3 months

Wins: 7

Losses: 1

Ties: 1

Danger level: 9/10

*Important note: Gets along well with Zuko (029507), use him to calm her down.

Sentencing: Life

* * *

Number: 029502

Given Name: Jet

Age: 20

Height: 6' 0"

Weight: 175 pounds

Significant features: Pointed eyebrows

Bending type: Earth

Notable skills: Hook sword specialist

Reason for incarceration: Series of attacks against Fire Nation nobility, anarchist, co-leading protests, etc.

Personality: Confident and competent. Lacks remorse for past crimes. Believes his views are righteous. Diagnosed with anti-social disorder.

Time in prison: approx. 3 years 7 months

Wins: 17

Losses: 10

Ties: 4

Danger level: 7/10

*Important note: DO NOT LEAVE INMATE ALONE WITH FIRE BENDING INMATES.

Sentencing: Life

* * *

Number: 029563

Given Name: Toph

Age: 16

Height: 5' 3"

Weight: 123 pounds

Significant features: Blind

Bending type: Earth

Notable skills: Can use earth bending to "see"

Reason for incarceration: Underground betting and fighting

Personality: Stubborn, hard headed. Unhappy when things don't go her way. Easily pleased by food. Has a attachment to Zuko (029507).

Time in prison: approx. 1 year 9 months

Wins: 11

Losses: 0

Ties: 0

Danger level: 9/10

*Important note: She will FUCKING kill you if you piss her off enough. Lock her in a wooden crate if she gets out of hand.

Sentencing: Life

* * *

Number: 029401

Given Name: June

Age: 25

Height: 5' 10"

Weight: 145 pounds

Significant feature: Tattoo on left shoulder

Bending type: Earth

Notable skills: Prefers hand to hand combat (which she excels in) to using her bending.

Reason for incarceration: Murdered her non-bending, bounty hunting partner.

Personality: Coy, seductive, and cunning.

Time in prison: Approx. 4 years and 2 months

Wins: 23

Losses: 10

Ties: 6

Danger level: 6/10

*Important note: She is somehow very good at information gathering, do not allow any sensitive information around her!

Sentencing: Life

* * *

Number: 029674

Given Name: Katara

Age: 17

Height: 5' 5"

Weight: 120 pounds

Significant feature: Always wears blue pendant.

Bending type: Water

Notable skills: None recording as of now

Reason for incarceration: Was not registered in the official benders registry book

Personality: Not sure as of now. Will do personality assessment tests later.

Time in prison: First day.

Wins: 0

Losses: 0

Ties: 0

Danger level: Unknown

Sentencing: Life

* * *

**These are a few basic, inmate profiles that newly hired guards have access to. I plan on Having them at the beginning of each chapter that a new character is introduced. What do you all think of it so far?**

**Here's a small sneak peak of the first chapter: Welcome To Caldera**

_Through the chaos, the Water Tribe girl noticed a young man sitting in the far corner of the cafeteria. He neither seemed to notice the struggle, nor did he seem to give a fuck. When she got a better look at him, she recognized him as the teen that she met a few hours ago before she was tagged. Being afraid of her surroundings and not knowing anyone else, she decided to make her way over to him. When she was ten yards away from him, his head snapped up and he looked at her with recognition. Katara was about to say something to him just as a glass bottle collided with the side of her head-knocking her off her feet and onto the ground. ( . . . )  
_

_"Look, guys. Fresh meat," she heard a female voice say as she felt her own blood trickle into the corner of her eyes and down the side of her face. ( . . . )  
_

_The delinquent moved his fist back in preparation for a punch, this caused Katara to reflexively turn her head away and put her hands between her and the crazed boy. When she heard the impact of a fist against flesh and the sound of a body hitting the floor, it took her a few moments to realize it wasn't her body that the fist came in contact with. She opened her eyes to the sight of the boy's body flat against the floor, and the golden eyed boy calmly standing in front of her. After sending a glare to the body on the floor, the dark haired boy walked over to where Katara was, and he spoke what seemed to be the phrase of the day._

"Welcome to Caldera."


	2. Chapter 1: Welcome To Caldera

Number: 029601

Given Name: Ling Li

Age: 22

Height: 5' 9"

Weight: 150 pounds

Significant features: snake tattoo on left forearm

Bending type: Earth

Notable skills: None

Reason for incarceration: Smuggled drugs

Personality: She's a bully. She's smart, she knows who's weaker and who's stronger than her. Picks her battles wisely.

Time in prison: approx. 1 year 4 months

Wins: 3

Losses: 5

Ties: 2

Danger level: 5.10

*Important note: She appears to be the leader of her little gang.

Sentencing: Life

* * *

Number: 029602

Given Name: Wu

Age: 20

Height: 6' 4"

Weight: 205 pounds

Significant features: snake tattoo on left forearm

Bending type: Earth

Notable skills: None

Reason for incarceration: Smuggled drugs

Personality: Relatively dull-witted.

Time in prison: approx. 1 year 4 months

Wins: 5

Losses: 5

Ties: 0

Danger level: 5/10

Sentencing: Life

* * *

Number: 029603

Given Name: Pin

Age: 19

Height: 5' 7"

Weight: 135 pounds

Significant features: snake tattoo on left forarm

Bending type: Earth

Notable skills: None

Reason for incarceration: approx. 1 year 4 months

Personality: He's a sadist. Enjoys inflecting pain on those weaker than him.

Time in prison: approx. 1 year 4 months

Wins: 3

Losses: 5

Ties: 2

Danger level: 5/10

Sentencing: Life

* * *

**Chapter 1: Welcome to Caldera**

* * *

In a quaint, little tea shop that resides in the upper ring of Ba Sing Se, two women were sharing the latest gossip about their lives and interests. The tea shop's walls were painted a calming shade of dark purple, and there were exotic flowers covering the ceiling. They sipped their tea in a cozy atmosphere, every once in a while sneaking a glance at the tea boy's rump. Neither of them ever knowing the hardship of being poor, nor ever wanting to. The two ladies (like many other people) had an intense fascination with the Redemption Games. To them, the Redemption Games was a way to entertain their mundane lives; in comparison, to the participants, it was usually a life or death situation. Lian was a women in her mid-thirties, she was a pleasingly plump lady, born into her high status. Her shiny, long brown hair was one of her most redeeming trait-a trait that her friend, Tyla, was jealous of. Tyla, also a women in her mid-thirties, was also born into her wealth. She was thin with shoulder length brown hair, nowhere near as pretty as her friends. She will one day get the secret out of her friend on how to have such luscious hair, but that would be for another day; for Tyla has something she wants to rub in her friends face. This is what is commonly called, by the poor, Passive Aggressiveness: Upper Ring Style.

"Lian, you should have been there!" Tyla starts with a faux-regretful voice. "I took a small vacation last weekend to the Fire Nation."

Hearing this, Lian internally groaned. The only reason some high-born ladies such as themselves would go to the Fire Nation would be to either visit a beach (for the Fire Nation has some of the finest beaches), or to watch a match at Caldera. It was early spring, far too cold for a respectable lady to go swimming, so she knew where this conversation was headed. Lian wanted to avoid this conversation because she also had wanted to watch a match, but she had a prior commitment. Liam put a fake smile on her face, and prepared to pretend to be happy and interested in what her friend was about to say.

"Oh? You went to the Fire Nation? What ever for?" She had to repress an eye roll. High-borns never eye roll… While people are watching.

"I went to Caldera!" Tyla said with a little too much enthusiasm.

"Was there a match?" As if Liam didn't already know the answer. This was a match that left everyone talking about.

"Oh, yes. Not just any match, however. The two competitors were Jet and Ty Lee."

Jet and Ty Lee. Where to begin? Although the pair denies it, many fans of the Redemption Games have a secret, or not so secret, fantasy of the two of them hooking up. The rumors of them being a couple started a few months ago when they were spotted standing next to each other as they watched another match. Ever since then, the idea of them being a power couple spread like wild fire throughout the fandom of the Games. The board in charge of Caldera caught wind of this, and they would, for lack of a better word, pimp the crap out of their relationship. They would force the two of them to have staged (unknown to the public) battles in mud. The fans loved it, and the money came rolling in. Little does the general public know, the two of them can barely stand each other. Lian and Tyla strongly shipped the Jet/Ty Lee pairing, and they would find themselves talking about the youths quite often. Knowing that her friend got to watch the match between the "star crossed lovers," greatly upset Lian. She was upset because being "pissed off" about something was not something genteel woman is ever in a state of.

"It must be so hard for the two of them to fight each other. Can you imagine being forced to hurt the one you love?" Lian heart breakingly asked.

"You could just see the torment in their eyes, heart breaking."

"Indeed." Lian agreed.

"I must admit, Ty Lee sure is a lucky young girl. To be able to find such a caring man in Caldera! That is such a feat." Tyla felt a slight twinge of envy as she was talking.

"If I was ten or so years younger and not married, I would have loved to try my chance with Jet…. Of course, if he wasn't a bender," Liam quickly corrected herself. Although some of the fighters in Caldera were viewed as celebrities, they were still born with the ability to bend which automatically made them second class beings. Though they would never admit it, many normal citizens of the Ba Sing Se empire would love to know what it is like to bend.

The two ladies continued to talk about the inmates of Caldera while they sipped their tea in the cushy restaurant. They talked about the latest inmates and events that were published in a weekly article in _the Ba Sing Se Journal._ The view of Caldera that those in the upper class had was that it was the best thing that could have ever happened to benders. In some cases that would be correct, but most of the time, Caldera was a living hell. Lian and Tyla will go to sleep that night with the peace of mind believing that their favorite benders were living a fulfilling and happy life.

* * *

White walls, white floors, and white ceilings lined a sterile looking room. Even the doorknob on the white door was white. In the center of the room lay a white hospital bed with a white sheet on top of it. The bed had white restraints meant for the arms, wrists, legs, ankles, neck, and waist. Lining the walls of the room are several large white cabinets-the content of the cabinets are every subjects worst nightmare. The room had a faint scent of citrus, this meant the room had been recently sterilized. All previous stains had been removed as if nothing had ever happened. As if the room never heard the primal screams erupting from the subject's mouth as he squirmed and writhed. There was not even a hint of evidence from previous experiments that could condemn the room.

Just a few doors down from the "check up" room is a roomy, little office. Inside of the office sits a researcher under the command of the royal advising board for the emperor. Benders are still quite the mystery to even the human biology researchers, so his job and the other researchers jobs is to find out more about benders through any means that he deems necessary. He has a stack of detailed profiles of some of the inmates, and he flips through them. He's searching, searching for the perfect candidate to take part in his next experiment. He wants the gold, the glory, the recognition he would receive if he makes any break throughs. All in the name of science, of course.

* * *

**"GROUP 2F, PLEASE REPORT TO DINING HALL B FOR BREAKFAST" **

The intercom announced throughout the main levels of the prison.

"Zuko," a middle aged woman addressed the younger inmate, "it's time for you breakfast. They'll be doing a head count, and you can't afford anymore demerit points."

The teenaged boy stretched his limbs across the white bed that he lay upon. After his muscles were satisfied, he lethargically climbed out of the infirmary bed. Zuko spent plenty of time in one of the prison's infirmary. Not because he's sick or injured, but because he enjoys being in the presence of Miss Takki, one of the many nurses that work for Caldera. Miss Takki is a non-bender who is one of the few employees that actually has sympathy for the benders and their predicament. To anyone that knew of Zuko, seeing him so at peace and passive would be shocked. The fire bender keeps up an appearance of being indifferent and resentful around those he doesn't know or trust.

Takki will always have a special place in her heart for benders. When she was younger, she had given birth to a beautiful, healthy son. Unfortunately, her son had been born a water bender. The two of them had lived happily together for several years, and she was able to support them even though she was a single mother. Takki tried to hide her son away from the tyrannical reach of the rules of the empire, but eventually he was discovered when a made an innocent child's mistake by creating waves in a public pool. For knowing that he was a bender and not registering him, Takki's punishment was to watch her son executed before her. That event almost drove her to suicide; just before she was about to jump off a building, she witnessed a young earth bending girl being arrested for bending in a no bending zone. The girl had been taken to Caldera. This sparked a new resolve within Takki which led to her applying for one of the nursing positions in the prison. In the name of her son, she works hard to help the benders whenever she can.

Zuko and Takki have a special relationship. They have a pseudo mother son relationship. The void in her heart of losing a son gets partly filled by being with and taking care of Zuko, while Zuko gets fulfilled as well by having a supportive guardian figure in his life. When he can, he likes to spend his time helping her with her infirmary duties. Also, Takki is quite stunning, especially in the eyes of men who haven't been with a woman in a long time. Zuko helps keep away potential attackers that mean harm towards Takki.

"It's too early," Zuko lightly complained to the nurse.

"You only get three free meals a day, and none of them are all that substantial. I suggest that you take food when you can get it," Takki reminded him. "Besides, I've heard some rumors from some of the guards that there will be a new bender joining your feeding group."

Zuko didn't very much so care whether or not a new person was joining his group for meal times, but he could tell that there was something else Takki wanted to say.

"Do you know who it is?" He asked semi-interested.

"I'm not sure yet, but what I do know is that he or she is a water bender."

"Oh?" Zuko said now more intrigued than he had been ten seconds ago. He knew that Takki had a soft spot for water benders because of her son.

"Yes, I heard that the water bender isn't violent. I'm worried that he or she will be bullied by some of the other benders," Takki speculated worriedly.

Reading the nurse's mind, Zuko asked, "Would you like me to keep an eye on the water bender?"

At this, Takki's face lit up. She bounced up to Zuko and held him in her arms.

"Would you?" She asked already knowing the answer, "That would be so great. Thank you, Zuko… Oh! You need to get going! I don't want to see you in here bloody from another punishment in a long time!"

Her concern caused Zuko to smile a small smile. Takki ushered Zuko out of the infirmary, and into an elevator. After saying their goodbyes, Zuko pressed a button that would lead him to the cafeteria floor. The doors shut, separating the two. Now alone, Zuko's facial features involuntarily darken from years of practice. He dons his you-better-not-fuck-with-me face which has helped him out greatly during his time in Caldera. The elevator gives off a "ding" that lets the temporary inhabitant know that he has reached his floor. The doors give way to him, but just before he steps out, he fixes a glare at a camera that's attached to the inside of the elevator. He is reminded that his every move is always being watched. He walks down a hallway going the direction to his designated cafeteria. On his way, he sees three guards and a teenage girl conversing on one side of the hallway. Maybe conversing isn't the most appropriate word, it seemed more like the two guards were lecturing and threatening the female prisoner. As he got closer, he watched one of the guars lay a hefty slap across her face. This caused the girl to gasp out in pain and confusion.

Now look, Zuko isn't exactly the most compassionate, chivalrous guy there is. He doesn't always feel the need to help everyone that's getting bullied by the guards. This is Caldera, after all, a dog eat dog world. He also generally don't like getting involved with situations like this because it usually ends with him getting some form of physical punishment. Something, though, bothered Zuko about three guards ganging up on one girl. Zuko would never admit it, but he was weak when it came to girls that where younger than him. This had nothing to do with the fact that he has a younger sister, no that would be absurd. The fire bender has a predicament, if he starts anything with these guards, he is more than guaranteed a good punishment. Zuko really doe not want to go back to Dusk and Dawn ever again; on the other hand, this girl appeared to be naive, and he didn't want her them to take advantage of her. He also cannot recall ever seeing her before, so he made an educated guess that she was the new water bender. Zuko approached the four while maintaining a menacing stance.

He looked each guard in the eye before saying, "I better see her in the mess hall soon, and she better be condition she is in now."

The majority of the guards that worked in Caldera know who Zuko is. They know that Zuko has had some run ins with guards in the past… And the guards always needed severe medical attention afterwards. This caused the three of them to visibly gulp back their anxiety. One of the guards gave the fire bender a timid nod of assurance which was enough for Zuko. Zuko locked eyes with who he thought was the new prisoner, and then continued on his way for breakfast. He quickened his pace since he knew he was already late. He arrived before two large metal doors. Zuko has a small chrome band on his left wrist which he held under a scanner attached to one of the doors. The scanner scanned his bracelet, and with a "beep" the doors proceeded to open, allowing him access to the room.

* * *

The Water Tribe girl, still not completely sure why she was admitted into Caldera, slowly walked into the cafeteria for her first meal. Katara wasn't sure what she was to expect in the world's most famous prison. Little is known about Caldera from the outside, and from what she knew, the institution was used to help troubled benders to assimilate to the society that Ba Sing Se is proud of. She always believed that the prison was almost like a safe place to be where all the workers specialized and understood the torment benders experience. Her experience with the guards must have been some unfortunate incident. Soon, she will learn that there is not a more dangerous place for benders to be than Caldera.

Taking in her surroundings, she saw that almost everything in the room was covered in stainless steel. The walls were stainless steel, the table tops were made out of stainless steel, and even the counters where servers were handing out food was made out of stainless steel. The cafeteria was also unusually bare: Tables, chairs, and inmates with their food was just about all that filled the room. Katara walked over to stand in line behind some other inmates that were waiting their turn to get breakfast. There was a young woman standing in front of her in line, so Katara decided to ask her about the rooms decor.

"Excuse me," she started "I'm new here. I was wondering why everything here is stainless steel?"

The woman she asked rolled her eyes in annoyance. Who the fuck does this brat think she is? And why the fuck does she give a flying shit about the interior design of the room? If it had been June's first day at Caldera, she would be more worried about being attacked by some sadistic trouble makers.

"Sweetie," June started with a condescendingly sarcastic, sweet tone, "it's easy to wipe blood off stainless steel."

With that, June turned around, further ignoring anymore questions that Katara might have had.

What a morbid thing for June to have said to a brand new girl. Before Katara could begin to ponder as to what the woman meant by "blood," her thoughts were disrupted when she saw one inmate hit another inmate with his chair. Then there was a loud noise of the chair being tossed aside into a wall. For several seconds the entire cafeteria was dead silent. Katara's stress levels rose, her heart beat quickened its pace, and her adrenal glands began to release epinephrine. Without warning, what seemed like the entire room broke out into a fight. Benders were forming into gangs, and fighting each other. She watched as the woman, she had previously spoken to, held another person in an admirable head lock until he passed out. Katara spent the next few minutes dodging cups, trays, and human body parts that went flying everywhere. She watched in horror as she saw someone squirming on the floor, cradling his leg. His tibia had been broken jaggedly in half, and she could see pieces of the bone protruding beyond his skin barrier. This caused Katara to vomit on reflex. She had accidentally spewed some of her stomach's contents on the shoes of another inmate; consequently, without a second thought, he gave her mighty kick to the abdomen which sent her rolling several feet away. Before the man could do anymore damage, another person collided with him, and they began to fight. Taking the opportunity, Katara crawled to the right side of the room until her body was flush against one of the stainless steel walls. Once she calmed herself down enough, she stood back up, and began calculating what her next move should be.

Through the chaos, the Water Tribe girl noticed a young man sitting in the far corner of the cafeteria. He neither seemed to notice the struggle, nor did he seem to give a fuck. When she got closer and a better look at him, she recognized him as the teen that she met a half an hour ago after she had been slapped. Being afraid of her surroundings and not being familiar with anyone else in any sort of sense, she decided to make her way over to him. When she was ten yards away from him, his head snapped up and he looked at her with recognition. Katara was about to say something to him just as a glass bottle collided with the side of her head-knocking her off her feet and onto the ground. Katara of the Southern Water Tribe has now been officially welcomed to the prison for benders.

"Look, guys. Fresh meat," she heard a female voice say as she felt her own blood trickle into the corner of her eyes and down the side of her face.

Katara found herself sputtering from the blood that trickled into her mouth, and through her disorientated sight, she was able to make out three figures smirking at her. Katara groaned slightly while she forced herself onto her knees, her body swaying the entire time. One of the three started walking towards her, and instinctively she shrank back.

"I don't want any trouble," Katara said weakly to the large boy coming towards her.

"Do you hear that?" The boy quacked to his friends. "She doesn't want any trouble!" This caused some giggle from those around him. "Little miss, let me be the first to officially welcome you to this glorious place called Caldera!" The boy said with fake glee.

The delinquent made contact with his right foot to Kataras chest, he then used his foot to push her back down until she was sitting on the floor. He then moved his fist back in preparation for a punch, this caused Katara to reflexively turn her head away and put her hands between her and the crazed boy. When she heard the impact of a fist against flesh and the sound of a body hitting the floor, it took her a few moments to realize it wasn't her body that the fist came in contact with. She opened her eyes to the sight of the boy's body flat against the floor, and the golden eyed boy calmly standing in front of her-his knuckles now torn with blood dripping off of them. After sending a glare to the body on the floor, the dark haired boy walked over to where Katara was, and he spoke what seemed to be the phrase of the day.

"Welcome to Caldera."

Katara, overwhelmed with everything that has been going on, was barely able to grunt out a small noise of acknowledgment. The black haired boy gave her a sad, knowing smile before he knelt down before her. He cautiously grabbed her jaw in his hands, and then turned her head to asses the damage.

"We should get take care of this as soon as possible. You're losing blood quickly, it's only a matter of time before you pass out," the young man tried to explain to the water bender.

However, Katara had already lost plenty of blood, and the blow to her head was already taking its toll. She had a hard time grasping her bearings, and could barely make out what the guy was saying. Her eyes fluttered closed, and her body went ahead and flopped against the boy in front of her. Zuko carefully secured her in his arms, and started to make his way out of the cafeteria. Occasionally, he would throw a glare at anyone that he thought was about to give them trouble. His glare promised them that whatever they hoped to gain from attacking them would ultimately not be worth the amount of pain he would put them through.

* * *

**And that is the first official chapter. Please R and R. Without feedback, I won't know whether or not it's worth continuing the story. More of the the structure of how Caldera is run and its services will be explained in other chapters.**


End file.
